Looking for an akita puppy...

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I grew up with an akita, but he's been gone for about 12 years now; I've always loved the breed and am now looking to add one to my family. I have some questions for those of you more familiar with raising akitas.
There are currently 3 other dogs in the house- my australian cattle dog (a 7yr old female), my brother's 5yr old female siberian husky and his new puppy, a 3month old bullmastiff mix male. My brother lives in his own apt in the house, so the husky and mastiff puppy sleep and eat in the apt. But the 3 are together at multi times during the day.
If I'm going to add a new puppy to the family I though it best to do while the mastiff is still young so that they can be trained together and would less likely fight. Does that make sense?
Also, would it be best to get a male akita since the mastiff puppy is also male? Or does the sex not really matter?

We have a soon to be 3yr-old female Akita and just 3 weeks ago added a baby brother for her. From all the research I have done it seems best when adding an Akita or adding another dog to an Akita home to go for the opposite sex. I'm not saying you can't add one of the same sex it's just easier to add the opposite sex. The best advice I can give you is to join Akitas and Friends and e-mail or p-mail Tyson's Mommy. Both her p-mail and e-mail addresses are on the site in a post about adding another Akita to the house. She has been a great help to me in this area and although I have had Akita's for awhile up until now we have always been a one at a time family.

Ok, sex of the puppy? Its going to depend HUGELY on the temperaments of your existing dogs. Take some time and evaluate your pack carefully. Who is most dominant? Is anyone pushy, or a bully? Is someone very submissive? Does anyone resource guard (fight over toys or food)?

I am probably most concerned about your ACD, as from my experience they can be dominant with other dogs and are scrappy (have a light trigger, can be quick to pick a fight). Akitas are, in general, very dominant and are disinclined to tolerate bullying, it will tick them off and start a fight. So if your ACD has that kind of temperament an Akita may be a questionable choice, especially a female. Females can be tricky to keep together. They are bitches, after all. It seems like in same-sex conflicts the females fight more viciously and are less likely to eventually get over it and be able to live together. Spaying does not help. Keeping two dominant bitches together is very tough to do.

I would think that a male Akita would be a bit safer bet, especially looking at it long term. Your brother may not always live with you, and then it would just be your ACD and your Akita, and opposite sex pairs are generally a little less trouble to manage. In addition, neutering both male pups fairly early (about 6 months) will go a long way towards curtailing dominant behaviors and jockeying for position. Intact males can become quite intolerant of each other at times.

Many Akita breeders consider 'dog intolerance' to be a part of the breed and have made no effort to breed away from it. Try to find a breeder whose dogs are able to live safely with other dogs, or who has at least produced dogs living happily in multi-dog households. As much as we all like to protect our breed by saying that "they are not aggressive by nature, it is how they are raised", the truth is that there are some genetics that are better than others. Some genetics are more likely to be 'dog intolerant/aggressive'. Of course, you do your utmost to raise and socialize the puppy well, but give yourself the best start possible by picking a pup from good parents. And of course, a good breeder will know her puppies well and will be able to help you choose the one most likely to fit into your family.

I'm not sure if it really matters if you get the pup now or when the Mastiff is older. I think what matters more is that you do your homework to find a good breeder, and then purchase your puppy at a time that will be convenient to YOU so you can do the best job raising it. And of course, practice good introductions and good management in the beginning to give the dogs the best foundation for their future relationship.

If you want more info on multidog intro and management here is a good article:
http://www.akitas.org/introdarticle.html

Or as Mika's mom said, I wrote a bit on the subject for her, it's over on the Akitas and Friends group.

Or also visit www.leerburg.com. The DVD 'Establishing Pack Structure with the Family Pet' is very good for this topic. There are also a wealth of free articles, some pertaining to keeping multiple dogs together or to introducing a puppy to your pack.

Keeping a multi-dog multi-sex household can be a very fine balancing act at times and it does require work, but you CAN do it and it can be very rewarding. Remember though, you are considering mixing some large powerful dogs, and mistakes on your part could end VERY badly for the dogs involved. So take the matter seriously. I've made some big generalizations in this post. I do not know you or your dogs, and I am not a professional behaviorist, so take all my advice with a grain of salt. If at all in doubt, consult with a local behaviorist or trainer or experienced Akita person who can visit your home and observe your dogs for themselves.

I wish you the very best of luck. Hope you find the perfect Akita pup for your family!!

My akita is now 9months, when I got him I had 4 other dog,3basset hounds (2female and a male)and a female stray who is not much older than a year so still a pup.. My akita took very well to the other dogs and still does and the others all accepted him, I think it is and would be a good idea to get one when there is a pup in the house as you say to train them I hope this helped

For the poster with the 9 month old Akita,Same sex agression in Akitas can and usually does start after the age of 18 months and gets worse from there.Please be cautious and observant with your Akita.

For those of you basically posting ads for puppies you have,I have reported you. This is against Dogster rules and policy. I also caution the person looking for a puppy against buying from you or anyone like you. No reputable Akita breeder would ever put an Akita puppy in the hands of someone without question. Akita's need a certain type of person capable of raising them properly,they are NOT for everyone. To sell a puppy without making sure it is going to the right type of home is doing that person or the breed no favors.

I have recently tried to add a 3 month old akita puppy to my home with another dog already here. My other dog is male, neutered, 11year old Sheltie, not a mean bone in his body. New puppy, 3 month, female, akita. The puppy would kill him if I left them alone. She turns into a raging mess if he is within sight. She tried to play with him at first, but because they are almost the same size he was scared and would avoid her and sometimes show his teeth when she ran at him. She has attacked him 3 times and the last time she would not let go until I got pretty rough with her. I have never seen a puppy act like this so now they have been separated and I am trying to socialize her ONLY while on leash. There was no food involved in the last two attacks. The first attack was because she had hidden some of her food in the yard and I didn't know it until later. He walked near it and she probably thought he was stealing it. I now monitor all encounters between the two and she is always on the leash when in the yard with him. She will only be 4 months old next week, so I pray that I still have time to correct this misbehavior. Not trying to scare you, just trying to let you know there may be some intense work involved.

Actually, this thread is about someone looking for an Akita puppy. I simply added the fact that although one person who responded was having no issue with adding a male Akita to a household with other male dogs,it in fact could become an issue later and they need to be aware. I'm sorry that you are having such an issue with your puppy being tolerant of your other dog. I'm glad you are managing it but have you contacted your breeder or a behaviorist about how to get her to change this behavior? Intolerance of other dogs to that level is not typical to Akitas. on getting your pups to peacefully coexist.

Older gentleman in Lascassas, TN near Murfreesboro is trying to get out of breeding since he is now retired and wants to travel. He has at least a dozen females (one or two may be breeders) ranging in age from 6 months to 4 years. He quoted me an amazing price for the puppy and another one that was just perfect, but they were bigger than what I wanted as my first akita puppy. I am sure no training has been done because the gentleman had been sick in the fall. A friend of mine bought a 1.5 year old male from this guy about 3 years ago and that dog is the best dog. So friendly to everyone. Not a mean bone in his body and he isn't even neutered yet! Get in touch with me and I will get you his phone number. He said that his wife said they need to be gone!